Hala, Dubai’s e-hailing taxi service, has introduced the Careem Pay digital wallet for its fleet of drivers, known as captains, to support quicker and more frequent payments of their tips and bonuses.
The digital wallet, available on the Careem app, will be rolled out with a phased approach, allowing captains to receive payments up to twice a week directly to their Careem Pay wallets, the company said on Monday.
Before the introduction of Careem Pay, Hala captains had received tips and bonuses monthly.
With the new service, they can receive remuneration nearly every three days, enabling them to pay bills, recharge their mobile plans or transfer money to any bank account directly in the app.
The platform also enables international money transfers at preferential exchange rates and without any added fees, the company said.
Hala currently provides the payment solution to 14,000 captains and aims to increase this to 17,000 by the end of this month.
“We decided to launch this initiative for captains to be able to receive remuneration more frequently and with ease,” Khaled Nuseibeh, chief executive of Hala, said.
“We are working with our partners to further expand the countries of remit to ensure we are catering to everyone equally.”
Currently, captains can remit money to Pakistan, and the service caters to about 70 per cent of the workforce, with more countries lined up for this service soon, Careem said.
A joint venture between Careem and the Roads and Transport Authority, Hala uses Careem’s ride-hailing technology and the RTA’s local knowledge to provide rides across Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.
Launched in 2019, Hala accounted for 11 per cent of total taxi trips in 2020. A year later, that number had increased to 18 per cent, rising to 30 per cent in 2022.
Last April, Careem rolled out a digital wallet for its Careem Pay service that stores real money for customers as part of its plan to become a digital financial services provider.
It also introduced a peer-to-peer transfer service that enables users to send, request and receive money by using a phone number, QR code or personal payment link.
The increased use of contactless mobile payments has been accelerated by hygiene concerns about using cash during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Consumer spending through digital wallets will reach more than $10 trillion in 2025 from $5.5 trillion in 2020, according to a 2021 report by UK-based Juniper Research.
A digital wallet stores users’ credit and/or debit card information and links it to a payment gateway to allow purchases at point of sale. Similar to credit cards, digital wallets only work with merchants that accept them as a payment method.
Google was the first major company to launch a mobile wallet in 2011. Today, consumers have a number of digital wallets to choose from, including Samsung Pay, PayPal and Apple Pay.
Careem Pay’s digital wallet can be used to pay for goods and services already offered on the Careem app – such as ride hailing, food and grocery delivery, bike sharing, intercity travel, cleaning and car rentals.
Money from the Careem Pay digital wallet can be withdrawn from any UAE bank account.
Careem Pay plans to introduce financial services in lending, savings and insurance, Madiha Sattar, vice president of Careem Pay, said last year.
Careem became the Middle East's first unicorn – a start-up with a valuation above $1 billion – when US-based Uber bought it in 2019 for $3.1 billion.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
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Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
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Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
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Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
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“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
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What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
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Scribe
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
